Seydou Traore waited several hours for the pivotal phone call that would alter his future. When it arrived he stayed composed while his mother Zaia displayed strong emotion beside him.

Traore along with his relatives sat behind the scenes at the NFL Draft where the 23-year-old from Britain who had not seen his family for five years after relocating to the United States to pursue an NFL career learned his ambition was about to be realized.

Zaia who has French-Algerian roots emitted a traditional north African celebratory trill shed tears of happiness and experienced a detached sensation in a response that spread widely online.

I entered a focused state she explained to BBC Sport. I kept repeating to myself that the moment had arrived and he had succeeded. It brought both pride and a sense of closure after years of effort that proved worthwhile.

Among all online material tied to Seydou achieving this milestone as the first NFL Academy graduate from England to reach the NFL the video of his mother remains the one he views repeatedly.

He recognizes that she fully understands the challenges overcome to become a pioneer in the league.

A brief conversation with Travis Kelce formed only a minor element in the process.

Traore grew up in south London where his natural athleticism led him to sample various activities. While playing soccer as a goalkeeper he encountered American football at age 16 through London Warriors.

In 2019 he joined the first group at the NFL Academy a program that started in north London and later moved to Loughborough. The academy draws talent from diverse sports and prior American football experience is not required.

Most draft candidates advance via the US college route which prompted the academy to assist international athletes in obtaining scholarships and readying them for the NFL both mentally and physically.

Each year roughly one million US high school students participate in American football yet only about 0.08 percent advance to the NFL.

This illustrates the steep challenges facing an international prospect such as Traore.

He dedicated himself fully rising at 5am daily to train and improve at the academy or elsewhere.

The next summer brought a key opportunity.